Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is in the house Thursday night at Staples Center to watch the hardcourt tussle between his old team and the Denver Nuggets. To no one’s surprise, he got a warm standing ovation from the partisan crowd when his presence was announced.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpYYOUAhfZi/?taken-by=houseofhighlights

Kobe Bryant deserves every second of that ovation. It wasn’t even enough. There should have been a rain of confetti and a parade to celebrate his taking time to drop by his old stomping yards.

In all seriousness, though, it’s nice to see Bryant watch the Lakers live.

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Although the Lakers have won the LeBron James sweepstakes in the offseason, they are off to a slow start, having won just once through the first four games of the 2018-19 NBA season, and having Bryant in the building – even as a spectator – definitely boosts the morale of Lakers diehard fans and the team itself.

Bryant has been away from the game as a player since 2016, but Lakers fans are not going to forget his countless contributions to the franchise. With James now in Los Angeles’ fold, the Lakers are hoping that they are going to reach heights they haven’t been in since Bryant led the team to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

No word yet on whether Kobe Bryant will be allowed to take the free throws for the Lakers during high-pressure moments tonight.